1Cor. 12:1 Now brothers, "I do not want to leave you in ignorance about spiritual gifts".

With these words St. Paul begins his extensive teaching concerning the action of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who have been baptized in Christ. A reading of chapters 12-14 of 1 Corinthians is a useful exercise and will enable us all to a better grasp of the diversity and use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the lives of each of us as individuals and the life of the Church.

From the beginning of Saul’s conversion and his Baptism at the hand of Ananias (see Acts 9:18) Paul begins to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit and as we read through Acts, we will see St. Luke recording for us the many miracles that God did through St. Paul.

Acts 13: 6-12. Elymas a magician and false prophet opposes Paul. Through Paul, God blinds Elymas for a time as a powerful sign pointing to the truth of the Gospel.

Acts 14: 8-10. The cure of a lame man at Lystra.

Acts 14: 19-20. Paul is stoned ( a death sentence) yet he gets up and goes back into the town where he had just preached and healed the lame man. One minute the populace want to offer sacrifice, thinking he is a god and the next moment they turn on him and stone him.

Acts 16:17-40. Paul manifests the charism of Discernment of spirits in discerning the clairvoyant spirit in the slave girl. He casts out the demon from the girl who is now no use to her owners. They whip up the crowd against Paul and Silas and they are beaten with whips and thrown into a stinking prison chained by their feet. At midnight in that dark hole bleeding and extremely uncomfortable they are singing and praising God!

As they are singing and praising, remember St Paul told us to rejoice always, in everything give thanks. There is a violent earthquake and the chains are broken and the prison doors burst open. Coincidence!! No God is intervening, working through his creation, nature itself to achieve his purpose. The jailer is about to take his own life, for to allow prisoners to escape would mean a death penalty for him. We hear St. Paul cry out to him not to harm himself and what follows is amazing, as he accepts Jesus as his Lord, and he and his family are Baptized that very night.

Acts 19: 11-12. And God worked more than the usual miracles by the hand of Paul; so that even handkerchiefs and aprons were carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.
Here is a New Testament example of the use of relics being used to bring healing and deliverance to those afflicted.

Acts 20: 7-12. When St. Paul preached it was not for ten minutes. Here he has been preaching all evening and at midnight a young lad sitting on a window sill falls asleep and falls three stories to the ground. St. Paul rushes down to him as he lies dead on the hard ground, clutching his lifeless body Paul prays for him and he is restored to life. Then Paul calmly returns to the room and preaches until dawn.

Acts 28. The shipwreck on Malta: Paul and everyone are saved through an act of God's intervention. While collecting wood for a fire to dry themselves a poisonous snake digs its fangs into Paul's hand. He shakes it off into the flames and the islanders are amazed as he does not succumb to the poison. Paul is unharmed even by deadly poison. Read Mark 16:18. Signs like these will accompany the proclamation of the Gospel. Through this miracle doors are opened for Paul to preach, and the father of Publius who is very sick is also healed through the charism of healing at the hand of St. Paul.

In 1 Cor. 13 St. Paul reminds us that these charisms are always to be done in love. They are not for self-aggrandisement but for building up of the body and he goes onto tell us that they are to be expected, in fact desired. 1 Cor 14:1.

In the Second Vatican Council document Lumen Gentium the Church once again reminded us that these gifts or charisms (Greek for gift) are given to the Church by the Holy Spirit. They are not restricted to the hierarchy or great saints but were given to all the baptized as the Spirit desires. See (CCC 2003).

St. Peter in Acts 2:39 tells us that the gift of the Holy Spirit is for you your children and all who are far off. We are far off in time and distance from Jerusalem AD33, but the promise is the same.

Pope Benedict XVI last Pentecost prayed that we would be open to rediscover the Baptism in the Spirit, which is the release of those gifts given to all at Baptism, to enable us to serve and build up the body of Christ, and to enable us to grow in holiness, manifesting the fruits of the Holy Spirit. For many the Spirit remains dormant in us and we need to ask in faith, "Veni Creator Spiritus" Come Holy Spirit and rekindle in us the fire of your love.

Peter Thompson.

St. Paul, pray for us.